DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference sign(s) mentioned in the description: 31. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant's cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Interpretation
MPEP § 2111.01 states that “… Under a broadest reasonable interpretation (BRI), words of the claim must be given their plain meaning, unless such meaning is inconsistent with the specification. The plain meaning of a term means the ordinary and customary meaning given to the term by those of ordinary skill in the art at the relevant time. The ordinary and customary meaning of a term may be evidenced by a variety of sources, including the words of the claims themselves, the specification, drawings, and prior art. However, the best source for determining the meaning of a claim term is the specification - the greatest clarity is obtained when the specification serves as a glossary for the claim terms …”. Thus under a broadest reasonable interpretation, the greatest clarity is obtained when the specification (e.g., see “… In the present disclosure, the "width of the inter-electrode region 18" refers to the length of the interelectrode region 18 in the electrode opposing direction between the first electrode 10 and the second electrode 11 …” in paragraph 87) serves as a glossary for the claim term “an inter-electrode region”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(B) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim(s) 3 and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being incomplete for omitting essential structural cooperative relationships of elements, such omission amounting to a gap between the necessary structural connections. See MPEP § 2172.01. The omitted structural cooperative relationships are: “the support leg” recited in claim 3 to other elements such as “a first support leg” recited in claim 2, “a second support leg” recited in claim 2, and “a third support leg” recited in claim 2.
Claim(s) dependent on the claim(s) discussed above is/are also indefinite for the same reasons.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned at the time any inventions covered therein were effectively filed absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned at the time a later invention was effectively filed in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gokturk (US 2005/0036905).
In regard to claim 10, Gokturk discloses a light detection method, wherein in a bolometer array comprising a first bolometer and a second bolometer as bolometers (e.g., “ … following definitions are provided to assist in understanding the present invention … "Sensor" refers to a nanotube being used to measure a physical and/or chemical quantity, such as … temperature … measurement can be based upon a change in any electrical characteristic and can rely upon, for example, and without limitation, a change in resistance … transistors M1 and M2 comprise metal oxide semiconductive field effect transistors, commonly referred to as MOSFETs … MOSFET M1 and M2 may be defect controlled nanotubes … drain-source connection of the MOSFET comprises the defect controlled nanotube. As the resistivity of the defect controlled nanotube changes as a function of the quantity being sensed, the out signal Vo changes …” in paragraphs 75, 83, 149, and 152), each of which comprises: a first electrode; a second electrode, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are provided with an inter-electrode region therebetween (e.g., “… drain-source connection of the MOSFET comprises the defect controlled nanotube …” in paragraph 152); and a semiconducting carbon nanotube film connected to the first electrode and the second electrode (e.g., “… present invention is directed to nanotubes, preferably carbon nanotubes … metal oxide semiconductive … drain-source connection of the MOSFET comprises the defect controlled nanotube …” in paragraphs 85, 149, and 152), the method adjusts the electric field applied to the semiconducting carbon nanotube film according to characteristic of the semiconducting carbon nanotube film (e.g., “… first signal is inputted to gate Vg1 of n-channel MOSFET M1, while the second signal Vg2 is inputted to gate Vg2 of n-channel MOSFET M2 … sensitivity of the sensor (defect controlled nano tube) can be adjusted via the gate voltage …” in paragraphs 150 and 153).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 5, 6, and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gokturk (US 2005/0036905) in view of Liddiard (US 2003/0168599).
In regard to claim 1, Gokturk discloses a bolometer array comprising: a plurality of bolometers (e.g., “ … following definitions are provided to assist in understanding the present invention … "Sensor" refers to a nanotube being used to measure a physical and/or chemical quantity, such as … temperature … measurement can be based upon a change in any electrical characteristic and can rely upon, for example, and without limitation, a change in resistance … transistors M1 and M2 comprise metal oxide semiconductive field effect transistors, commonly referred to as MOSFETs … MOSFET M1 and M2 may be defect controlled nanotubes … drain-source connection of the MOSFET comprises the defect controlled nanotube. As the resistivity of the defect controlled nanotube changes as a function of the quantity being sensed, the out signal Vo changes …” in paragraphs 75, 83, 149, and 152), wherein each of the bolometers comprises:
(a) a first electrode (e.g., “… drain-source connection of the MOSFET comprises the defect controlled nanotube …” in paragraph 152);
(b) a second electrode, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are provided with an inter-electrode region therebetween (e.g., “… drain-source connection of the MOSFET comprises the defect controlled nanotube …” in paragraph 152);
(c) a semiconducting carbon nanotube film connected to the first electrode and the second electrode (e.g., “… present invention is directed to nanotubes, preferably carbon nanotubes … metal oxide semiconductive … drain-source connection of the MOSFET comprises the defect controlled nanotube …” in paragraphs 85, 149, and 152); and
(d) a third electrode that is disposed apart from the semiconducting carbon nanotube film (e.g., “… metal oxide semiconductive … gate voltage …” in paragraphs 149 and 153) and that is capable of adjusting an electric field applied to the semiconducting carbon nanotube film in accordance with characteristic of the semiconducting carbon nanotube film (e.g., “… first signal is inputted to gate Vg1 of n-channel MOSFET M1, while the second signal Vg2 is inputted to gate Vg2 of n-channel MOSFET M2 … sensitivity of the sensor (defect controlled nano tube) can be adjusted via the gate voltage …” in paragraphs 150 and 153).
While Gokturk also discloses (paragraphs 127 and 128) that “… Typically, a nanotube sensor 19 as illustrated in FIG. 12 would be used in conjunction with a signal processing circuit 21 which provides electrical power and processes the signal from the sensor to produce an output in proportion to the quantity being detected … such as but not limited to … temperature … nanotube 1 can be incorporated into the circuit in a number of different ways …”, the array of Gokturk lacks an explicit description of details of the “… incorporated into the circuit in a number of different ways …” such as arranged on a substrate. However, “… incorporated into the circuit …” details are known to one of ordinary skill in the art (e.g., see “… active bolometer that generally includes at least one control electrode in addition to the two bias electrodes that pass bias current. The device generally functions in a similar manner to a thin film transistor, in that the two bias electrodes function as 'source' and 'drain', and the control electrode as a 'gate', thereby enabling control of bias current and device performance. The ability to operate a bolometer in this manner offers considerable advantages in terms of enhanced functionality, versatility and detective performance … bias contact electrodes 6 and 7 make electrical contact to each end and on top of the semiconductor layer and extend to legs 13 and 14. The legs have the dual purpose of electrical interconnection and thermal isolation, and are supported at the ends by pillars 10 and 11. The control electrode 1 extends to legs 15 and 16, which function in similar manner as legs 13 and 14. It will be understood that legs 15 and 16 extend from the bottom of the semiconductor layer. Because of the inherent strength and mechanical stability of the four-leg structure, each leg can be formed with small cross-sectional area to attain a low thermal conductance. However, other constructions may equally well be applicable. For example, in a further configuration four pillars of low thermal conductance may be positioned at the periphery of the detector structure … technology described herein can be applied to either single detector elements or two-dimensional arrays of detectors. The latter may be in the form of sparse or close-packed arrays. A sparse array enables some versatility in the means for thermal isolation. For example, the folded legs shown in FIG. 3 must be used for close-packed arrays, but for sparse arrays the legs can extend outwards to any convenient location. A large number of detectors or detector arrays can be fabricated by step-and-repeat lithographic methods, and then diced into separate chips for mounting, bonding and packaging … Advantageously, the detector or detector array will be integrated on the same silicon wafer as the associated ROIC, however, one or more of the signal conditioning and readout circuits may be located off-chip. Furthermore signal-processing circuits may also be located on or off the detector chip … voltage applied to the control electrodes will alter the conductivity of the semiconductor, by virtue of the well-known theory of thin film filed effect transistors, thereby changing the bias current and signal voltage. This characteristic is particularly advantageous for an array of detectors where, with the aid of associated signal processing, the bias may be adjusted on a detector-to-detector basis to remove fixed pattern noise arising form small variations in the detective performance of individual detectors at a given operational temperature …” in paragraphs 41, 56, 69, 71, and 72 of Liddiard). It should be noted that “when a patent claims a structure already known in the prior art that is altered by the mere substitution of one element for another known in the field, the combination must do more than yield a predictable results”. KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398 at 416, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007) at 1395 (citing United States v. Adams, 383 U.S. 39, 40 [148 USPQ 479] (1966)). See MPEP § 2143. In this case, one of ordinary skill in the art could have substituted a known conventional circuit configuration (e.g., comprising details such as each detector of “two-dimensional arrays of detectors” comprising “four-leg structure”, in order to achieve the advantage of “integrated on the same silicon wafer as the associated ROIC” with “thermal isolation”) for the unspecified circuit configuration of Gokturk and the results of the substitution would have been predictable. Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a known conventional circuit configuration (e.g., comprising details such as a substrate on which the bolometers are arranged) as the unspecified circuit configuration of Gokturk.
In regard to claim 2 which is dependent on claim 1, while Gokturk also discloses that each of the bolometers comprises the semiconducting carbon nanotube film connected to the first and second electrodes (e.g., “… drain-source connection of the MOSFET comprises the defect controlled nanotube …” in paragraph 152) with a first wiring connected to the first electrode, a second wiring connected to the second electrode, and a third wiring connected to the third electrode (e.g., see “… first signal is inputted to gate Vg1 of n-channel MOSFET M1, while the second signal Vg2 is inputted to gate Vg2 of n-channel MOSFET M2 … DC supply voltage is supplied to the drain of each transistor M1 and M2. A first resistance device R1 is connected between the source of transistor M1 and ground. A second transistor R2 is connected between the source of transistor M2 and ground …” in paragraphs 150 and 151), the array of Gokturk lacks an explicit description of details of the “… incorporated into the circuit in a number of different ways …” such as a cavity between the substrate and the semiconducting carbon nanotube film formed by a first support leg including the first wiring, a second support leg including the second wiring, and a third support leg including the third wiring. However, “… incorporated into the circuit …” details are known to one of ordinary skill in the art (e.g., see “… active bolometer that generally includes at least one control electrode in addition to the two bias electrodes that pass bias current. The device generally functions in a similar manner to a thin film transistor, in that the two bias electrodes function as 'source' and 'drain', and the control electrode as a 'gate', thereby enabling control of bias current and device performance. The ability to operate a bolometer in this manner offers considerable advantages in terms of enhanced functionality, versatility and detective performance … bias contact electrodes 6 and 7 make electrical contact to each end and on top of the semiconductor layer and extend to legs 13 and 14. The legs have the dual purpose of electrical interconnection and thermal isolation, and are supported at the ends by pillars 10 and 11. The control electrode 1 extends to legs 15 and 16, which function in similar manner as legs 13 and 14. It will be understood that legs 15 and 16 extend from the bottom of the semiconductor layer. Because of the inherent strength and mechanical stability of the four-leg structure, each leg can be formed with small cross-sectional area to attain a low thermal conductance. However, other constructions may equally well be applicable. For example, in a further configuration four pillars of low thermal conductance may be positioned at the periphery of the detector structure … technology described herein can be applied to either single detector elements or two-dimensional arrays of detectors. The latter may be in the form of sparse or close-packed arrays. A sparse array enables some versatility in the means for thermal isolation. For example, the folded legs shown in FIG. 3 must be used for close-packed arrays, but for sparse arrays the legs can extend outwards to any convenient location. A large number of detectors or detector arrays can be fabricated by step-and-repeat lithographic methods, and then diced into separate chips for mounting, bonding and packaging … Advantageously, the detector or detector array will be integrated on the same silicon wafer as the associated ROIC, however, one or more of the signal conditioning and readout circuits may be located off-chip. Furthermore signal-processing circuits may also be located on or off the detector chip … voltage applied to the control electrodes will alter the conductivity of the semiconductor, by virtue of the well-known theory of thin film filed effect transistors, thereby changing the bias current and signal voltage. This characteristic is particularly advantageous for an array of detectors where, with the aid of associated signal processing, the bias may be adjusted on a detector-to-detector basis to remove fixed pattern noise arising form small variations in the detective performance of individual detectors at a given operational temperature …” in paragraphs 41, 56, 69, 71, and 72 of Liddiard). It should be noted that “when a patent claims a structure already known in the prior art that is altered by the mere substitution of one element for another known in the field, the combination must do more than yield a predictable results”. KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398 at 416, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007) at 1395 (citing United States v. Adams, 383 U.S. 39, 40 [148 USPQ 479] (1966)). See MPEP § 2143. In this case, one of ordinary skill in the art could have substituted a known conventional circuit configuration (e.g., comprising details such as each detector of “two-dimensional arrays of detectors” comprising “four-leg structure”, in order to achieve the advantage of “integrated on the same silicon wafer as the associated ROIC” with “thermal isolation”) for the unspecified circuit configuration of Gokturk and the results of the substitution would have been predictable. Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a known conventional circuit configuration (e.g., comprising details such as each of the bolometers comprises: support legs that support the first electrode, the second electrode, and the semiconducting carbon nanotube film so that a cavity is formed between them and the substrate, the support legs comprises: a first support leg including a first wiring connected to the first electrode; a second support leg including a second wiring connected to the second electrode; and a third support leg including a third wiring connected to the third electrode) as the unspecified circuit configuration of Gokturk.
In regard to claim 5 which is dependent on claim 1, while Gokturk also discloses that the third electrode (e.g., see “G” in Fig. 16
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) is disposed so as to at least partially overlap the semiconducting carbon nanotube film (e.g., see “Nanotube” in Fig. 16a) when viewed from a third direction perpendicular to orthogonal first and second directions, the array of Gokturk lacks an explicit description of details of the “… incorporated into the circuit in a number of different ways …” such as the bolometers are arranged in the first and second directions. However, “… incorporated into the circuit …” details are known to one of ordinary skill in the art (e.g., see “… active bolometer that generally includes at least one control electrode in addition to the two bias electrodes that pass bias current. The device generally functions in a similar manner to a thin film transistor, in that the two bias electrodes function as 'source' and 'drain', and the control electrode as a 'gate', thereby enabling control of bias current and device performance. The ability to operate a bolometer in this manner offers considerable advantages in terms of enhanced functionality, versatility and detective performance … bias contact electrodes 6 and 7 make electrical contact to each end and on top of the semiconductor layer and extend to legs 13 and 14. The legs have the dual purpose of electrical interconnection and thermal isolation, and are supported at the ends by pillars 10 and 11. The control electrode 1 extends to legs 15 and 16, which function in similar manner as legs 13 and 14. It will be understood that legs 15 and 16 extend from the bottom of the semiconductor layer. Because of the inherent strength and mechanical stability of the four-leg structure, each leg can be formed with small cross-sectional area to attain a low thermal conductance. However, other constructions may equally well be applicable. For example, in a further configuration four pillars of low thermal conductance may be positioned at the periphery of the detector structure … technology described herein can be applied to either single detector elements or two-dimensional arrays of detectors. The latter may be in the form of sparse or close-packed arrays. A sparse array enables some versatility in the means for thermal isolation. For example, the folded legs shown in FIG. 3 must be used for close-packed arrays, but for sparse arrays the legs can extend outwards to any convenient location. A large number of detectors or detector arrays can be fabricated by step-and-repeat lithographic methods, and then diced into separate chips for mounting, bonding and packaging … Advantageously, the detector or detector array will be integrated on the same silicon wafer as the associated ROIC, however, one or more of the signal conditioning and readout circuits may be located off-chip. Furthermore signal-processing circuits may also be located on or off the detector chip … voltage applied to the control electrodes will alter the conductivity of the semiconductor, by virtue of the well-known theory of thin film filed effect transistors, thereby changing the bias current and signal voltage. This characteristic is particularly advantageous for an array of detectors where, with the aid of associated signal processing, the bias may be adjusted on a detector-to-detector basis to remove fixed pattern noise arising form small variations in the detective performance of individual detectors at a given operational temperature …” in paragraphs 41, 56, 69, 71, and 72 of Liddiard). It should be noted that “when a patent claims a structure already known in the prior art that is altered by the mere substitution of one element for another known in the field, the combination must do more than yield a predictable results”. KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398 at 416, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007) at 1395 (citing United States v. Adams, 383 U.S. 39, 40 [148 USPQ 479] (1966)). See MPEP § 2143. In this case, one of ordinary skill in the art could have substituted a known conventional circuit configuration (e.g., comprising details such as each detector of “two-dimensional arrays of detectors” comprising “four-leg structure”, in order to achieve the advantage of “integrated on the same silicon wafer as the associated ROIC” with “thermal isolation”) for the unspecified circuit configuration of Gokturk and the results of the substitution would have been predictable. Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a known conventional circuit configuration (e.g., comprising details such as the bolometers are arranged in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and when viewed from a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, the third electrode is disposed so as to at least partially overlap the semiconducting carbon nanotube film) as the unspecified circuit configuration of Gokturk.
In regard to claim 6 which is dependent on claim 5, Gokturk also discloses that when viewed from the third direction, the third electrode (e.g., see “G” in Fig. 16a) is disposed so as to at least partially overlap at least one of the first and second electrodes (e.g., see “D” and “S” in Fig. 16a).
In regard to claim 9, Gokturk discloses a bolometer array unit comprising:
(a) the bolometer array (i.e., the cited prior art is applied as in claim 1 above); and
(b) a control device configured to adjust a voltage to be applied to the third electrode for each of the bolometers (e.g., “… first signal is inputted to gate Vg1 of n-channel MOSFET M1, while the second signal Vg2 is inputted to gate Vg2 of n-channel MOSFET M2 … sensitivity of the sensor (defect controlled nano tube) can be adjusted via the gate voltage …” in paragraphs 150 and 153).
Claim(s) 3 and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gokturk in view of Liddiard as applied to claim(s) 2 above, and further in view of Oulachgar et al. (US 2014/0091217).
In regard to claims 3 and 4 which are dependent on claim 2 in so far as understood, while Gokturk also discloses that the semiconducting carbon nanotube film (e.g., see “Nanotube” in Fig. 16a) when viewed from a third direction perpendicular to orthogonal first and second directions, the array of Gokturk lacks an explicit description of details of the “… incorporated into the circuit in a number of different ways …” such as each of the bolometers has a fourth support leg that does not include wiring, wherein the bolometers are arranged in the first and second directions with the first and second support legs arranged in the first direction and the third and fourth support legs arranged in the second direction. However, “… incorporated into the circuit …” details are known to one of ordinary skill in the art (e.g., see “… active bolometer that generally includes at least one control electrode in addition to the two bias electrodes that pass bias current. The device generally functions in a similar manner to a thin film transistor, in that the two bias electrodes function as 'source' and 'drain', and the control electrode as a 'gate', thereby enabling control of bias current and device performance. The ability to operate a bolometer in this manner offers considerable advantages in terms of enhanced functionality, versatility and detective performance … bias contact electrodes 6 and 7 make electrical contact to each end and on top of the semiconductor layer and extend to legs 13 and 14. The legs have the dual purpose of electrical interconnection and thermal isolation, and are supported at the ends by pillars 10 and 11. The control electrode 1 extends to legs 15 and 16, which function in similar manner as legs 13 and 14. It will be understood that legs 15 and 16 extend from the bottom of the semiconductor layer. Because of the inherent strength and mechanical stability of the four-leg structure, each leg can be formed with small cross-sectional area to attain a low thermal conductance. However, other constructions may equally well be applicable. For example, in a further configuration four pillars of low thermal conductance may be positioned at the periphery of the detector structure … technology described herein can be applied to either single detector elements or two-dimensional arrays of detectors. The latter may be in the form of sparse or close-packed arrays. A sparse array enables some versatility in the means for thermal isolation. For example, the folded legs shown in FIG. 3 must be used for close-packed arrays, but for sparse arrays the legs can extend outwards to any convenient location. A large number of detectors or detector arrays can be fabricated by step-and-repeat lithographic methods, and then diced into separate chips for mounting, bonding and packaging … Advantageously, the detector or detector array will be integrated on the same silicon wafer as the associated ROIC, however, one or more of the signal conditioning and readout circuits may be located off-chip. Furthermore signal-processing circuits may also be located on or off the detector chip … voltage applied to the control electrodes will alter the conductivity of the semiconductor, by virtue of the well-known theory of thin film filed effect transistors, thereby changing the bias current and signal voltage. This characteristic is particularly advantageous for an array of detectors where, with the aid of associated signal processing, the bias may be adjusted on a detector-to-detector basis to remove fixed pattern noise arising form small variations in the detective performance of individual detectors at a given operational temperature …” in paragraphs 41, 56, 69, 71, and 72 of Liddiard and “… term "support structure" refers broadly to a structure that holds and mechanically supports the platform 28 of the micro bolometer detector 20 in a spaced relationship above the substrate 22, preferably in a thermally-insulating manner … in addition to providing mechanical support, the support structure 24 may also serve the dual purpose of electrically connecting and thermally insulating each thermistor 34 from the substrate 22 …” in paragraphs 38 and 39 of Oulachgar et al.). It should be noted that “when a patent claims a structure already known in the prior art that is altered by the mere substitution of one element for another known in the field, the combination must do more than yield a predictable results”. KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398 at 416, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007) at 1395 (citing United States v. Adams, 383 U.S. 39, 40 [148 USPQ 479] (1966)). See MPEP § 2143. In this case, one of ordinary skill in the art could have substituted a known conventional circuit configuration (e.g., comprising details such as each detector of “two-dimensional arrays of detectors” comprising “four-leg structure” with each leg “providing mechanical support” and optional “electrically connecting”, in order to achieve the advantage of “integrated on the same silicon wafer as the associated ROIC” with “thermal isolation”) for the unspecified circuit configuration of Gokturk and the results of the substitution would have been predictable. Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a known conventional circuit configuration (e.g., comprising details such as said support legs of each of the bolometers further comprises a fourth support leg that does not include wiring, wherein the bolometers are arranged in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and when viewed from a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, the first support leg and the second support leg are arranged in the first direction with the semiconducting carbon nanotube film therebetween, and the third support leg and the fourth support leg are arranged in the second direction with the semiconducting carbon nanotube film therebetween) as the unspecified circuit configuration of Gokturk.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gokturk in view of Liddiard as applied to claim(s) 5 above, and further in view of Lin et al. (High-performance carbon nanotube field-effect transistor with tunable polarities, IEEE Transactions on Nanotechnology, Vol. 4, no 5 (September 2005), pp. 481-489).
In regard to claim 7 which is dependent on claim 5, the array of Gokturk lacks an explicit description of details of the “… incorporated into the circuit in a number of different ways …” such as each of the bolometers comprises a plurality of the third electrodes arranged in the third direction with the semiconducting carbon nanotube film therebetween. However, “… incorporated into the circuit …” details are known to one of ordinary skill in the art (e.g., see “… active bolometer that generally includes at least one control electrode in addition to the two bias electrodes that pass bias current. The device generally functions in a similar manner to a thin film transistor, in that the two bias electrodes function as 'source' and 'drain', and the control electrode as a 'gate', thereby enabling control of bias current and device performance. The ability to operate a bolometer in this manner offers considerable advantages in terms of enhanced functionality, versatility and detective performance … bias contact electrodes 6 and 7 make electrical contact to each end and on top of the semiconductor layer and extend to legs 13 and 14. The legs have the dual purpose of electrical interconnection and thermal isolation, and are supported at the ends by pillars 10 and 11. The control electrode 1 extends to legs 15 and 16, which function in similar manner as legs 13 and 14. It will be understood that legs 15 and 16 extend from the bottom of the semiconductor layer. Because of the inherent strength and mechanical stability of the four-leg structure, each leg can be formed with small cross-sectional area to attain a low thermal conductance. However, other constructions may equally well be applicable. For example, in a further configuration four pillars of low thermal conductance may be positioned at the periphery of the detector structure … technology described herein can be applied to either single detector elements or two-dimensional arrays of detectors. The latter may be in the form of sparse or close-packed arrays. A sparse array enables some versatility in the means for thermal isolation. For example, the folded legs shown in FIG. 3 must be used for close-packed arrays, but for sparse arrays the legs can extend outwards to any convenient location. A large number of detectors or detector arrays can be fabricated by step-and-repeat lithographic methods, and then diced into separate chips for mounting, bonding and packaging … Advantageously, the detector or detector array will be integrated on the same silicon wafer as the associated ROIC, however, one or more of the signal conditioning and readout circuits may be located off-chip. Furthermore signal-processing circuits may also be located on or off the detector chip … voltage applied to the control electrodes will alter the conductivity of the semiconductor, by virtue of the well-known theory of thin film filed effect transistors, thereby changing the bias current and signal voltage. This characteristic is particularly advantageous for an array of detectors where, with the aid of associated signal processing, the bias may be adjusted on a detector-to-detector basis to remove fixed pattern noise arising form small variations in the detective performance of individual detectors at a given operational temperature …” in paragraphs 41, 56, 69, 71, and 72 of Liddiard and “… carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (CNFETs) … CNFETs using dual gates to eliminate ambipolar characteristics and create pure n- and/or p-type devices …” in section 1 of Lin et al.). It should be noted that “when a patent claims a structure already known in the prior art that is altered by the mere substitution of one element for another known in the field, the combination must do more than yield a predictable results”. KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398 at 416, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007) at 1395 (citing United States v. Adams, 383 U.S. 39, 40 [148 USPQ 479] (1966)). See MPEP § 2143. In this case, one of ordinary skill in the art could have substituted a known conventional circuit configuration (e.g., comprising details such as “CNFETs using dual gates”, in order to achieve “pure n- and/or p-type devices”) for the unspecified circuit configuration of Gokturk and the results of the substitution would have been predictable. Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a known conventional circuit configuration (e.g., comprising details such as each of the bolometers comprises a plurality of the third electrodes arranged in the third direction with the semiconducting carbon nanotube film therebetween) as the unspecified circuit configuration of Gokturk.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gokturk in view of Liddiard as applied to claim(s) 1 above, and further in view of Collins et al. (Nanotubes for electronics, Scientific American Vol. 283, no 6 (December 2000), pp. 62-69).
In regard to claim 8 which is dependent on claim 1, while Gokturk also discloses that the first electrode and the second electrode are arranged in a first direction with the semiconducting carbon nanotube film therebetween (e.g., see “D”, “Nanotube”, and “S” in Fig. 16a), the array of Gokturk lacks an explicit description of details of the “… incorporated into the circuit in a number of different ways …” such as the third electrode is disposed alongside the semiconducting carbon nanotube film in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction with the bolometers arranged in the first and second directions. However, “… incorporated into the circuit …” details are known to one of ordinary skill in the art (e.g., see “… active bolometer that generally includes at least one control electrode in addition to the two bias electrodes that pass bias current. The device generally functions in a similar manner to a thin film transistor, in that the two bias electrodes function as 'source' and 'drain', and the control electrode as a 'gate', thereby enabling control of bias current and device performance. The ability to operate a bolometer in this manner offers considerable advantages in terms of enhanced functionality, versatility and detective performance … bias contact electrodes 6 and 7 make electrical contact to each end and on top of the semiconductor layer and extend to legs 13 and 14. The legs have the dual purpose of electrical interconnection and thermal isolation, and are supported at the ends by pillars 10 and 11. The control electrode 1 extends to legs 15 and 16, which function in similar manner as legs 13 and 14. It will be understood that legs 15 and 16 extend from the bottom of the semiconductor layer. Because of the inherent strength and mechanical stability of the four-leg structure, each leg can be formed with small cross-sectional area to attain a low thermal conductance. However, other constructions may equally well be applicable. For example, in a further configuration four pillars of low thermal conductance may be positioned at the periphery of the detector structure … technology described herein can be applied to either single detector elements or two-dimensional arrays of detectors. The latter may be in the form of sparse or close-packed arrays. A sparse array enables some versatility in the means for thermal isolation. For example, the folded legs shown in FIG. 3 must be used for close-packed arrays, but for sparse arrays the legs can extend outwards to any convenient location. A large number of detectors or detector arrays can be fabricated by step-and-repeat lithographic methods, and then diced into separate chips for mounting, bonding and packaging … Advantageously, the detector or detector array will be integrated on the same silicon wafer as the associated ROIC, however, one or more of the signal conditioning and readout circuits may be located off-chip. Furthermore signal-processing circuits may also be located on or off the detector chip … voltage applied to the control electrodes will alter the conductivity of the semiconductor, by virtue of the well-known theory of thin film filed effect transistors, thereby changing the bias current and signal voltage. This characteristic is particularly advantageous for an array of detectors where, with the aid of associated signal processing, the bias may be adjusted on a detector-to-detector basis to remove fixed pattern noise arising form small variations in the detective performance of individual detectors at a given operational temperature …” in paragraphs 41, 56, 69, 71, and 72 of Liddiard and see right illustration on pg. 63 of Collins et al. described as “… field-effect transistors (FETs) use single semiconducting nanotubes between two metal electrodes as a channel through which electrons flow [see right illustration on page 63]. The current flowing in this channel can be switched on or off by applying voltages to a nearby third electrode …” in the “Nanocircuits” section on pg. 65). It should be noted that “when a patent claims a structure already known in the prior art that is altered by the mere substitution of one element for another known in the field, the combination must do more than yield a predictable results”. KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398 at 416, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007) at 1395 (citing United States v. Adams, 383 U.S. 39, 40 [148 USPQ 479] (1966)). See MPEP § 2143. In this case, one of ordinary skill in the art could have substituted a known conventional circuit configuration (e.g., comprising details such as “single semiconducting nanotubes between two metal electrodes” with “a nearby third electrode”, in order to achieve “field-effect transistors (FETs)”) for the unspecified circuit configuration of Gokturk and the results of the substitution would have been predictable. Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a known conventional circuit configuration (e.g., comprising details such as the bolometers are arranged in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and the first electrode and the second electrode are arranged in the first direction with the semiconducting carbon nanotube film therebetween; and the third electrode is disposed alongside the semiconducting carbon nanotube film in the second direction) as the unspecified circuit configuration of Gokturk.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 2023/0384165 teaches a bolometer.
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/SL/
Examiner, Art Unit 2884
/UZMA ALAM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2884
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